A swimming pool deck slip resistance standard is proposed that if adopted will cause hundreds of millions of dollars of misspent investment; lead to thousands of slip and fall accidents, many with life-changing injuries; cost hundreds of millions in medical bills and other losses; and lead to far too many premature deaths due to injuries … Continue reading “Pool Deck Slip Standard would Create Jobs for Lawyers and Emergency Room Doctors”
Author: George Sotter
Safety Direct America Calibrates Pendulum Skid Testers from Far and Wide
Like any scientific or engineering instrument, the pendulum skid tester (also sometimes called the British pendulum or pendulum slip tester) should be calibrated at least once annually. Safety Direct America, a subsidiary of Sotter Engineering Corporation, is the leading calibrator of pendulum skid testers in the Americas. We calibrate the pendulum using the latest British … Continue reading “Safety Direct America Calibrates Pendulum Skid Testers from Far and Wide”
2022 Revised ANSI A326.3 Has Five Situation-Specific DCOF Minimums — And Crucial Caveats
In February of 2022, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) issued a revised version of their “Test Method for Measuring Dynamic Coefficient of Friction of Hard Surface Flooring Materials.” The test method is called ANSI A326.3, and it sets a very low bar for DCOF in various flooring areas. Slip and fall accidents will likely … Continue reading “2022 Revised ANSI A326.3 Has Five Situation-Specific DCOF Minimums — And Crucial Caveats”
Your Questions About SparkleTuff™ Transparent Anti-Slip Floor Coating
Since Safety Direct America introduced its popular transparent anti-slip floor coating, SparkleTuff™, in September of 2016, we’ve fielded questions from thousands of prospective customers. Here are the most popular ones. 1. Will it adhere to my flooring (epoxy, vinyl, wood, tile, marble, granite, glass, etc.)? Yes. We have yet to find a flooring type that … Continue reading “Your Questions About SparkleTuff™ Transparent Anti-Slip Floor Coating”
British Government Lab Rates Footwear Slip Resistance
For work environments where there’s a risk of slipping, it’s prudent to consider mandating slip-resistant footwear for employees, and possibly providing them with help in obtaining them. Some cruise ship companies have stores on board their ships where crew members can get slip-resistant footwear. Other companies provide financial assistance. Footwear in a slippery floor environment … Continue reading “British Government Lab Rates Footwear Slip Resistance”
Use Anti-Slip Floor Tape Strips Wisely
Anti-slip abrasive or non-abrasive floor tape strips have a place in a slip reduction plan, but they must be used judiciously. Figure 1 shows a long ramp to restrooms in a popular (and pricey) restaurant. The floor material is the same for the whole ramp, but inexplicably the anti-slip floor tape strips are only at … Continue reading “Use Anti-Slip Floor Tape Strips Wisely”
Outdoor Test Shows Cleanability of SparkleTuff™ Transparent Anti-Slip Floor Coating
In order to demonstrate the cleanability of transparent SparkleTuff™ (“Sparkle-tough”) Anti-Slip floor coating, we placed seven contaminants on the surface of a porcelain tile coated with SparkleTuff™, as shown in Fig. 1. They are, clockwise from top left, black coffee (a long patch): cabernet sauvignon red wine; yellow mustard; mud from amended adobe (clay) soil; … Continue reading “Outdoor Test Shows Cleanability of SparkleTuff™ Transparent Anti-Slip Floor Coating”
SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating Preserves Rich Color of Stamped Concrete
An earlier entry in this blog showed Safety Direct America’s exclusive SparkleTuff™ transparent anti-slip floor and tub coating on a simulated terra cotta tile deck that was made of stamped concrete with two coats of color wax. The SparkleTuff™ makes the surface slip-resistant and preserves the color wax for years, instead of it being washed … Continue reading “SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating Preserves Rich Color of Stamped Concrete”
Physical Therapist’s Glowing Endorsement of SparkleTuff™
Our clients and their information are confidential. Many parties don’t want it known that they have had slippery floor problems — it tends to bring claimants (legitimate or fraudulent) and their lawyers out of the woodwork. However, one SparkleTuff™ user, a physical therapist, was so pleased she volunteered to let us use her comments. She … Continue reading “Physical Therapist’s Glowing Endorsement of SparkleTuff™”
Beware of Rugs and Carpets that have a Slippery Backing!
It seems to be a thing now for manufacturers to use a cheap slippery backing on rugs and carpets, and expect the buyer to notice the hazard and mitigate it before there’s a slip and someone gets hurt. This doesn’t always happen in time, and serious injuries can result. These injuries often could have been … Continue reading “Beware of Rugs and Carpets that have a Slippery Backing!”